I went in to get my tires rotated and an alignment because I noticed one tire was wearing unevenly. I walked out with an estimate for $1250 to replace rear shocks that "failed", 3 tires that need replacing becuase of the shocks and an alignment. I have 92K miles on my Prius. Is it normal for shocks to wear out with 90K miles on them?
It's normal to have them changed every 60k? A lot of people never change these in the entire life of cars (IE my 1991 honda accord with 248k) -- Never did anything but the basics. It doesnt run great but its still fine. However, that seems steep. My local mechanic told me he would charge $390 in labor for all 4 struts/shocks.. if I supply parts.
Yes, your front shocks and rear struts were probably pretty worn at 60K miles and if you want to do a complete job you should replace all four now that your car has 92K. However that will probably cost $2K+ at the dealer, so you may want to call around to see if you can find an independent that will do the job for you. If you buy the correct parts from one of the Toyota dealers that sell parts over the web at 25% discount, you might pay ~$500 for parts to do all four: two front struts, two rear shocks, four rubber pleated boots, and two front strut top mounts. Good luck.
do a search, I started one that explains how to get 4 monroe struts, 4 monroe mounts and 4 moog bellows for $298 + tax if I recall. Then do it yourself and pay a shop for a 4 wheel alignment. struts do last longer than shocks, monroe website says they're good for 50K-75K miles. that 50% discrepancy is due to the fact that it really depends on your driving style and road conditions. Due to the price I bought a set of struts for my Prius (52Kmiles 2004) and Corolla (71K miles 2004) and intend to do the Corolla this fall and the Prius either this fall or next summer (haven't decided) Worn struts do cause other components to wear faster, namely tires but other components as well, and your stopping distance can go up by as much as 20% with worn struts, so there's a safety factor to consider, than there's improved comfort and handling of new struts. But they are expensive, the following items are more important: engine oil, oil filter, engine air filter, ATF fluid, lighting, engine & inverter coolant, tires, groceries, rent/mortgage, child support. the following items are equally important to replacing your struts: cable bill, surpentine belt the following items are less important: alimony & back taxes
A lot of places may quote high on rear struts because the HV battery is in the way and they'd rather not have to mess with it.
